St. Laurence is one of the area’s most intriguing teams heading into the state playoffs.
Roshawn Russell’s team is loaded with talented pieces, but doesn’t have any star power. The Vikings also play in the lesser Catholic League White, which keeps them out of the spotlight more than the other ranked Catholic League teams.
But St. Laurence is one of a small handful of teams that has exceeded expectations this season. The Vikings have wins against Brother Rice, Mount Carmel, Glenbard West, Lemont, Fenwick and Homewood-Flossmoor. They are far more battle-tested than some teams ranked ahead of them, with losses to Quincy, Lincoln Park and Benet.
EJ Mosley is the key to the Vikings’ success. The Purdue-Fort Wayne recruit could score more, but is a natural point guard and his unselfishness has set the tone for the team.
Mosley is averaging 12 points, five assists and four rebounds. He’s scored more than 1,000 points in his career and has been shooting very well this season, 64% from the field and 40% from three.
Seniors Zerrick Johnson and Jacob Rice have also cracked the 1,000-point mark for their careers and senior Brad Stratton has made 58 three-pointers. Russell even has two promising sophomores in Markese Peoples and Reggie Stevens.
St. Laurence is the top seed in the Class 3A Glenbard South Sectional. Most of the attention in Class 3A has focused on DePaul Prep (the two-time defending champs), Brother Rice and Mount Carmel. But it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see the Vikings in Champaign.
Super 25 updates
The overall schedule was light this past week, but there were some very significant results. Three top five teams lost. Benet smashed DePaul Prep at DePaul. Lyons upset Hinsdale Central. Waubonsie Valley lost at DeKalb.
Rich, Evanston, Lincoln Park, Kankakee, Fremd and Stevenson also lost. I can’t remember things still remaining so unsettled in the Super 25 heading into the state playoffs.
Waukegan, Niles North and Rolling Meadows return to the rankings. Fremd drops out after the loss to Rolling Meadows and Stevenson drops out after losing to Waukegan. Kaneland drops out despite not losing. The Knights’ strength of schedule just isn’t high enough to stay in at this point.
All-Area/All-City nominations
Coaches and athletic directors, please send your nominations to mobrien@suntimes.com. Every team in the Sun-Times’ coverage area of nearly 400 schools is eligible. Sending statistics and other relevant information helps make a case for your player. Please limit your nominations to two players.
The All-City team will consist of four teams of five players from public and private schools in the Chicago city limits. The All-Area team is the 20 best players in the Sun-Times’ coverage area.
The deadline for nominations is noon on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Super 25 high school basketball rankings for Feb. 23, 2025
With record and last week’s ranking
1. Kenwood (27-1) 1
Top seed at Hinsdale Central
2. Bolingbrook (27-4) 2
Top seed at Benet
3. Marist (29-2) 6
Unbeaten in 2025
4. Hinsdale Central (28-3) 4
Upset at Lyons
5. Homewood-Flossmoor (27-3) 7
Top seed at Rich
6. Benet (26-5) 10
Won at DePaul Prep
7. DePaul Prep (26-4) 3
Still the favorite in 3A
8. St. Laurence (26-5) 11
Class 3A title contenders
9. Mount Carmel (25-5) 12
Favorable regional path
10. Brother Rice (25-6) 13
Knocked off Lincoln Park
11. Waubonsie Valley (29-2) 5
Lost at DeKalb
12. Evanston (25-5) 9
Lost to Niles North
13. Lincoln Park (22-6) 14
Lost at Brother Rice
14. Curie (21-9) 15
Had the week off
15. Rich (20-8) 8
Lost to Bloom again
16. Simeon (19-7) 16
Did not play
17. Kankakee (23-5) 17
Lost at Waubonsie Valley
18. Glenbard West (24-5) 19
Top seed at Glenbard East
19. Waukegan (21-7) NR
Beat Stevenson
20. Young (18-13) 20
Finishing strong
21. Lake Forest (20-9) 21
Major threat in Class 3A
22. West Aurora (20-8) 23
Terrence Smith is a factor
23. Warren (21-10) 24
Sneaky tough playoff road
24. Rolling Meadows (26-4) NR
MSL champs
25. Niles North (25-6) NR
Beat Evanston